Alexander Ovechkin issues statement on being traded and it says a lot

While the NHL superstar continues to chase Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record, he has had a tough year. It was an up-and-down year, with little consistency until the end for the Russian sniper.

The Peter Laviolette led, New York Rangers shut him down and the Capitals left the playoffs, without a whimper.

With Ovechkin looking back on the season in hindsight, he feared the possibility of being traded.

It seems unthinkable for the "Great 8" to be traded, but he expected the worst due to the lack of offensive production during the first half of the season.

In spite of his resurgence on the back half of the 2023-2024 regular season, Alex Ovechkin was held scoreless by the Rangers.

With Ovechkin being 41 goals away from what was to be an everlasting record, the Capitals want Ovi to be with the team when he finally breaks Gretzky's record. But are they willing to sacrifice post-season success with a 38 year old to do it?

Ovechkin still has two-years on his contract, with the Washington Capitals, but it remains to be seen how much time they will give Ovi to break the 41 goal barrier, especially when it comes to a lack of post-season play.

Source: MarkerZone
Alex Ovechkin opens up about being traded this off-season